Pixies
This article is about the Pixie race. For individual Pixies, see Category: Pixies. Pixies were flying creatures, considered diminutive by most of the Greater Races, who existed in Torlynn during the New Age. As a reclusive race, very little was known about them; they were often confused for faeries. Biology and Culture Pixies averaged about six inches in height. Many of them lived to be over 600 years old. When in flight, their wings could beat as fast as a hummingbird's, to the point where they were no longer visible to the naked eye. Pixies possessed a degree of extra-sensory perception, allowing them to make determinations about members of other species. For example, they could detect human neurotransmitters, so they were aware when one of them was using an innate hidden power. Pixies could create a luminescent glow with their bodies, similar to that of a thunder bug. This was primarily for communicating to others across great distances, or to attract mates; Pixies possessed perfect night vision. Pixies consumed relatively little food, capable of sustaining themselves off a single legume or bramble rubus for a whole day. The diminutive Pixie physiology meant their brains were also exceptionally small. Some pixian scholars purported that the consciousness of a Pixie existed at least partly outside their bodies, while others believed they may have enjoyed a form of collective consciousness. They typically wore the skins or exoskeletons of small creatures they had defeated, and as such it was not uncommon to find pixies adorned with parts from hornets, snakes, piranha, and other dangerous but tiny predators. Pixie females sometimes wore nothing at all. They found metal armor too heavy to wear and inhibited their ability to fly. Pixies did not sleep in beds, preferring to doze off nestled within cup-shaped flower blossoms whenever possible. Pixies had a reputation as the "pranksters of the forest." They were considered by other races to behave obnoxiously, to smell poorly (their urine was strong enough to kill grass on contact), and were known as notorious liars. Pixies sometimes forged alliances with members of larger races. They even went so far as to write up service contracts that, in accordance with Pixie law, legally binds their allies to protect them from rabid mountain kittens and other dangerous creatures. Clans There were seven Pixie clans in existence, ranging from the esteemed Stout Root clan to the low-class Five-Pointed Leaf clan. The Stout Root clan, living in the forested Darklands, was led by clan leader Nyx and numbered in the hundreds. Nomadic by nature, their territory could cover many country miles, but was recognizable by the tiny nibble marks they often left on the trees. Relatively defenseless, Nyx's clan had forged a symbiotic relationship with the butterfly people living there. The pixies provided the butterflies with weapons and armor made from gold and bloodrock, while in return, the butterflies agreed to protect the pixies from predators, including moth people and hungry sparrows. The pixies were extremely talented metalsmiths and metallurgists, but the manner in which they were able to turn bloodrock into armor and weaponry was a secret which they guarded fiercely. The Lost Treasure of Torlynn After her people inexplicably disappeared from the butterfly grotto, butterfly princess Mariposa summoned the pixies using a woodwind instrument, inquiring if they knew anything about why the butterflies had vanished. Nyx revealed that he heard that humans had begun to hunt down aerials after a moth attack on one of the human villages. Later, the pixies arrived on Mermaid Island following a botched attempt by Four and Christabel to dislodge the Mermaid's Bliss, which had run aground. The pixies were able to repair the ship using a latticework of gold and bloodrock gems, helping themselves to all the alcoholic beverages in the hold as payment for their work. The Quest for the World-Breaker Nyx consulted with Mariposa following the Battle of Torlynn, expressing concerns about the abilities of the decimated butterfly people to continue protecting the pixies. They also presented Mariposa with a new bloodrock sword, replacing the dagger they had previously given her. Later, the crew of Xanthippe sought out the pixies after the goblins on board had detected the scent of the World-Breaker. A component of the weapon was, in fact, what the pixies had been using to blast apart chunks of bloodrock into weapon blades and armor panels, though the dark sorcery of the device typically killed pixies in the process. Nyx initially expressed trepidation about giving away the device that had made him invaluable to the butterflies, but in the end, pirate captain Mirabel Miller provided an equitable exchange that satisfied all parties involved. Mariposa attempted to find the pixies to tell them that her people were relocating from the grotto to a new butterfly settlement, but she was unable to locate them. The Curse of the Fate Shifter When Mariposa started searching for Four to be reunited with him, Nyx sent Pixie scouts to hunt for him. Wazzipaloo was the first Pixie to successfully locate him. Alternate Reality In one different version of reality, Four contacted the Pixies and tried to persuade Nyx not to give away his piece of the World-Breaker. After Four identified Wazzipaloo as the Pixie who had revealed to him that the Pixies possessed the artifact, Nyx had Wazzipaloo executed for reason. This alternate version of events was later reversed. Trivia The adjective to describe Pixies was "pixian." Behind the Scenes The pixies were introduced to the world of the Butterfly Princess through the illustration entitled "Pixies at Play." At the time, none of the characters were named (and, indeed, no pixie matching the description of clan leader Nyx appears in the illustration), but they were susequently realized as characters for the novels. The term is not capitalized in the first two books but it is capitalized in the third book, an apparent editorial oversight. In The Curse of the Fate Shifter, Wazzipaloo mentions that Four is one of the blessed few humans she's ever seen... or, at least, ones that she's seen alive. The implication seems to be that Pixies might have a tendency to kill humans who enter their domain. Category:Races Category:Greater Races Category:Aerials